Riley
by SilenceOfSanctuary
Summary: This is a new story I came up with for my O.C. Riley the Hedgehog, who is my avatar. I will be working on this off and on. Silver and several other characters will be making an appearance.


_Screaming and crying…fire everywhere…her home burning to ash behind her…_

_The snow flitting down through the air seemed in such distinction compared to the chaos around her…The sounds of panicked shrieks and pounding footsteps…_

_An older hedgehog woman held her hand and ran in the opposite direction of the tall black figures…_

"_It's the Scruva!" She heard a woman cry out before she was set upon by their large werewolves, all of them tearing and feasting on her flesh, snarling and growling in pleasurable bloodlust…and she screamed. Oh did she scream…_

"_Come Riley! Come!" The woman dragged Riley along behind her, the poor four-year-old hedgehog barely able to keep up with woman's long strides._

"_Rua, look out!" But too late. Riley screamed as the lady was tackled by one of the wolves. A fox nearby snatched up his scythe, nearly the full length of his body, and swung it with the grace achieved through years of practice. The wolf's head split in two, muscle and tissue sliced into little pieces, and coated the woman with its blood. Yet she was unharmed, which is all that mattered to Riley. _

"_T-take her! Please Hial! Hide her somewhere safe!" The woman hugged the fox tightly, tears matting her smooth rosy-tinted cheeks. Her red-black hair was coated with grey-black ash that stuck to her pelt and clothes. Riley lifted her arms and the lady kneeled and picked her up, clutching the toddler against her soft frame._

"_Riley…you stay safe. Do as you're told. Live. Promise me…" She whispered softly. Riley's ears twitched in response, a strange sadness taking over. This dread that consumed her, while making her afraid, somehow strengthened her resolve._

"_I promise…mother…"_

* * *

Riley's eyes opened slowly, feeling as though her eyelids had been glued together. Her long, curly red-black hair was thrown over her face, blocking her eyes. She tried to brush it back with her fingers without sitting up, but the persistent curls bounced back into place. Groaning, she turned in her bed, glancing at the window. The sun was a little more than halfway to its peak. The cool autumn air, smelling vaguely of the coming winter, swept itself freely into her room; in the night it had also brought in some red and yellow-gold leaves that were now scattered about on her bedroom floor.

_Not quite midday…perhaps I can—_

"Get up, you lazy girl!" Riley could hear her door rattling as the lead maid of the temple, Katra, shook at the handle, trying to open it. Riley was somewhat pleased she had learned to jam the door closed with the broken handle of a broom. "Hial wants you in the training area. Now!" Riley could hear the older raccoon grumbling as she walked away, probably scuffling with her maid's dress or trying to keep her hair looking presentable. Riley grabbed a pillow and threw it over her eyes, sighing. She pushed the pillow off after a few moments and sat up, swinging her slender legs over the side of the bed. The wood was cool against her feet from the morning breeze. She slumped over to her armoire, the one she had commissioned Hial to build for her, and opened the two main doors.

In the center was a gold-black framed photo of her mother, surrounded by vines of blue-white clematis trellis, her mother's favorite flower. The vines were overflowing the pots she had originally planted them in. Leaning close, Riley sniffed one delicately, its nectar-sweet scent tickling her nose. Sighing, she moved to the side and began rummaging through her hanging clothes, trying to find something presentable to train in.

Later that day, Hial was going to introduce her to the higher masters of the temple at a fancy dinner party. Riley loathed social events; why spend time making friends when it should be used on getting stronger and faster? She finally decided on a blue vest and skin-tight black leggings. The blue of the vest contrasted ugly against her red and black fur, but she didn't care. Blue was her mom's favorite color…and today was an important day.

Riley examined herself in the mirror after flinging her clothes on rather haphazardly. The red of her fur only existed at the top. Crimson trailed down her hair until its very tips, where it morphed back into black; the red ended in the center of her chest, the rest of her fur black as night all the way to the tips of her toes. Riley had never liked the way she looked; while in most cases it didn't bother her, she had seen the males and females training in this facility. She had seen the boys flirting with the girls who didn't have such strange fur colors. Mostly they all just ignored her; even when they were all training together, no one would partner with her.

Shaking her head, she whipped those thoughts out of her mind. There were more important things to worry about than stupid boys and girls. Blowing the picture of her mother a small kiss, she closed the armoire softly and turned to pick up her weapon.

It was the same weapon which Hial had used to save her mother all those years ago. Riley had taken very good care of it, keeping it sharp and in the best condition of all the weapons in the temple. The scythe was a silver-blue colored metal, with small black wooden sections to use as grips on the shaft of the weapon. It curved beautifully, giving it a sense of grace and, at the same time, terrible violence. Riley slipped it into the strap across her back, leaving the curved part of her scythe above her head turned away from her body; she didn't need herself getting any unnecessary injuries.

She slipped quietly out the door, closing it softly behind her. Katra had long since returned to her duties. Riley treaded down the spiraling staircase, her body turned slightly to keep the scythe from scraping the narrow walls. For years she had lived in what she called "the tower". It basically was; Hial had known Riley hated being around people, so he and a few of the workers had added a tower-like structure to the back of the temple to serve as her room. It was the only place she felt truly relaxed and safe.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she unlocked the heavy bolt and pushed the large wooden door open. Her tower connected straight into the main dining hall, the one thing she disliked about it, but it was a small price to give up for the sake of her privacy…and her sanity.

As soon as the door opened and she stepped outside, everyone in there stopped eating and stared at her. The room grew deathly quiet as all the students who trained and worked here assessed her and the blue vest she wore, judging her. Some girls in one of the farthest corners giggled and started whispering amongst themselves, still looking at her as they did. Soon conversation began once again, but at a much more muted level. Riley glared at them all and quickly left the dining hall, hearing voices getting louder behind her.

She hated being such an interest in this place. While it was her home, it didn't mean she liked to be paraded around like a prized animal. Hial tried to make sure she was left as alone as possible, but it didn't erase the fact the temple masters had finally taken an interest in her.

She stepped outside into the morning air. It stung her nostrils with its chill, but it was something she didn't mind. It helped keep her mind alert and awake. The leaves on the trees in the main courtyard had run their colorful course and now were beginning to cover the ground with their fallen friends. Winter was coming; a rough time for the temple.

Riley walked into another separate building, yanking the sliding door open and stepping inside. Hial was fighting with someone she didn't recognize; his back was to her. His fur was the color of silver, his quills pinned up in the front and jutting out far in the back. His lithe form easily dodged Hial's advances. His fists glowed a strange white-yellow and Hial was pinned in midair, his body lodged into place. Riley gasped and drew her scythe, pushing the tip of it lightly into the hedgehog's neck.

"Drop him. Now."

Hial was set gently to the floor. He stood up and brushed off his shirt and pants, his face loosening as he smiled at her.

"Riley, I believe you know our guest?"

Slowly the hedgehog turned to the side, his gold eyes taking in the female red-black hedgehog. Riley's mouth dropped open in shock, so surprised she almost dropped her weapon.

"Silver?!"


End file.
